Anonymised data - testing children

This information may of interest if you intend to test in schools. Whether under GDPR this form of anonymisation would be accepted as such remains to be seen - so please be very very cautious.

"In the past I have  asked schools to assign a code to all children participating in the research (it was whole class group testing).

 The school send me the children’s details that are relevant (e.g., date of birth, special educational needs status and gender*) with the code number.  

 We then test the children as outlined in the information forms etc. We ask children to write their names on a little label attached to the test forms. 

 We hand the test forms to the school office who rip off the label with the child’s name and replaces it with a sticker with the childs code written on it which we prepared earlier when the school sent the list of codes.

 We leave with the anonymous forms to enter into our data sheet. We can (with consent) group feedback to schools but there isn’t the possibility to give any individual feedback as we don’t have the names/codes.

 Schools (particularly in more deprived areas in which child protection issues are raised more often) like this procedure as they then know for certain that no childs name had left the building and parents are assured that the  data really is anonymous/confidential. 

This also puts schools in the driving seat regarding consent form collection/agreement and handling of opt out cases if appropriate. The risk to the researcher is that you have to trust schools not to lose the name/ codes if you do follow up testing and the downside to the school is that the office has to rip off the name labels and replace them with the corresponding coded sticky label."

Primary schools (including pre schools) in the wider Yorkshire area are now extremely vigilant about the use of gender neutral language in any documentation (regardless of the age of the child). 

"I have been informed by North Yorkshire Council that any form upon which the child is asked to specify their gender should span every genders or be left blank for the child to define the gender they currently identity with."

This link is particularly useful **link**